Alexander Walke

Alexander Walke

Walke with Red Bull Salzburg in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth	(1983-06-06) 6 June 1983
Place of birth	Oranienburg, East Germany
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Red Bull Salzburg
Number	33
Youth career
0000–1997	Eintracht Oranienburg
1997–1999	Energie Cottbus
1999–2003	Werder Bremen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2005	Werder Bremen	0	(0)
2005–2008	SC Freiburg	74	(0)
2008–2009	Wehen Wiesbaden	34	(0)
2009–2010	Hansa Rostock	34	(0)
2010–2023	Red Bull Salzburg	158	(0)
2011	→ Greuther Fürth (loan)	16	(0)
Total		242	(0)
International career
2002	Germany U-20	3	(0)
2003	Germany U-21	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alexander Walke (born 6 June 1983) is a German former professional football goalkeeper.

Club career

Born in Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Walke began his career at Energie Cottbus as a 14-year-old. In 1999, he transferred to Werder Bremen, and was called up to the professional team in 2003. After six years, Walke moved to Baden-Württemberg in 2005 from Werder Bremen to join SC Freiburg. In 2008, he transferred to SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Walke left SV Wehen Wiesbaden to the end of the 2008–09 season. On 28 May 2009, he signed a two-year contract with FC Hansa Rostock where he played in all 36 games.

In 2010, Walke left Germany to sign for Austrian Bundesliga champion FC Red Bull Salzburg. He was the third German-born goalkeeper for the 2010–2011 season behind Niclas Heimann and Gerhard Tremmel. After one year on loan at Greuther Fürth in the 2. Bundesliga he returned to Salzburg for the 2011–12 season taking over the number 1 position from Eddie Gustafsson.

During the 2017-18 season Salzburg had their best ever European campaign. They finished top of their Europa League group, for a record fourth time, before beating Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund thus making their first ever appearance in the UEFA Europa League semi-final. On 3 May 2018, he played in the Europa League semi-finals as Olympique de Marseille played out a 1–2 away loss but a 3–2 aggregate win to secure a place in the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final.

He retired in 2023 as a legend of Red Bull Salzburg, and will stay on as a youth goalkeeping coach.

International career

He competed for Germany at the FIFA World Youth Championship 2003, but tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active chemical in marijuana.

Career statistics

As of match played 19 May 2019.

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Werder Bremen II	2001–02	Regionalliga Nord	5	0	—		—		—		5	0
	2002–03		20	0	—		—		—		20	0
	2003–04		12	0	—		—		—		12	0
	2004–05		17	0	1	0	—		—		18	0
	Total		54	0	1	0	—		—		55	0
Freiburg	2005–06	2. Bundesliga	29	0	3	0	—		—		32	0
	2006–07		33	0	2	0	—		—		35	0
	2007–08		12	0	1	0	—		—		13	0
	Total		74	0	6	0	—		—		80	0
Freiburg II	2007–08	Oberliga Baden-Württemberg	15	0	—		—		—		15	0
Wehen Wiesbaden	2008–09	2. Bundesliga	34	0	4	0	—		—		38	0
Hansa Rostock	2009–10	2. Bundesliga	34	0	1	0	—		2	0	37	0
Red Bull Salzburg	2010–11	Austrian Bundesliga	0	0	2	0	2	0	—		4	0
	2012–13		21	0	5	0	5	0	—		31	0
	2012–13		30	0	1	0	2	0	—		33	0
	2013–14		7	0	1	0	0	0	—		8	0
	2014–15		3	0	2	0	1	0	—		6	0
	2015–16		31	0	4	0	2	0	—		37	0
	2016–17		34	0	4	0	11	0	—		49	0
	2017–18		25	0	0	0	17	0	—		42	0
	2018–19		4	0	5	0	10	0	—		19	0
	2019–20		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2020–21		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		155	0	24	0	50	0	—		229	0
Greuther Fürth (loan)	2010–11	2. Bundesliga	16	0	0	0	—		—		16	0
Career total			382	0	36	0	50	0	2	0	470	0

Honours

Red Bull Salzburg

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022-2023
• Austrian Cup: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences